Agencies
Bangladesh opener Liton Das returned to form with a game-changing century in his comeback match against Zimbabwe, on Friday, at the Harare Sports Club.
Incidentally, the elegant right-hander's place in the ODI set-up had come under scrutiny following a string of low scores in the 50-over format, and the Bangladesh team management had started looking for alternatives in another rookie - Mohammad Naim.
Since scoring 176 against Zimbabwe in 2020, Liton went through a lean patch, registering scores of 14, 22,0,19, 0, 21, 0, and 25 in his last eight ODIs. As a result, the team management dropped him from the last ODI against Sri Lanka in the three-match series and replaced him with Naim, who couldn't capitalize on his opportunity.
In the pre-series presser, Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal had also suggested that Liton might be demoted down the order as a replacement for Mushfiqur Rahim, who won't be a part of the team. However, a late call allowed Liton another opportunity to cement his spot as the opener alongside Tamim with a 102 in the opening ODI.
"I was in good nick before the Covid-19 pandemic, and if there was no Covid-19 break, perhaps it would have been good for me because I was going through my peak form at that time," Liton said after the game.
"After returning to international cricket following the break, it became difficult for me. A lot of things were going through my mind regarding my performance through those eight innings."
In the past, Liton has been criticized for throwing his wicket away. However, in the first ODI, he looked to gauge the conditions, and once he got set, he played the big shots.
In the company of the experienced Mahmudullah, he also showed the required batting aptitude to guide the side to safer waters after the visitors had found themselves in trouble at 74 for 4.
For now, the only area of concern for Liton could be the wrist problem that he suffered during the course of the game, with substitute Nurul Hasan taking over wicketkeeping duties. However, Liton clarified that the injury wasn't serious.
